


This Charming Man

by leeapfrog



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adult Losers Club (IT), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Pennywise (IT), Bike Rights, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, Eddie Kaspbrak works at Hooters, F/M, Fluff, Gay Panic, Hooters, I Want That Twink Obliterated, M/M, Meet-Cute, Miscommunication, cause of course he does, lowkey stalking, this is just femboy hooters minus all the femboy, yes the restaurant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:13:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24705883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leeapfrog/pseuds/leeapfrog
Summary: Eddie was almost positive there had been a guy- or two guys stalking both him and his best friend Mike at their workplace- which of all places had been Hooters, somewhere not known exclusively for the safety and comfort of its workers.
Relationships: Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh - Relationship
Comments: 8
Kudos: 99





	This Charming Man

**Author's Note:**

> ‘reddie but eddie is a femboy at femboy hooters and richie goes there everyday cause the likes the cute boy who keeps serving him (eds obviously)’

Eddie was almost positive there had been a guy- or _two_ guys stalking both him and his best friend Mike at their workplace- which of all places had been Hooters, somewhere not known exclusively for the safety and comfort of its workers.

Okay, maybe stalking was too harsh. It was more like- _keeping an eye out for_ , even if that sounded as equally as bad.

It was unspoken between the two of them, a guy he’d learned was named Richie over days of eavesdropping and a recurring phrase ‘ _Beep, Beep, Richie_ ’ whatever the hell that had meant, and his friend Bill, or _Billiam_ , maybe even _Billy_? Too many nicknames were thrown around that he didn’t really know. Had the hots for both him and Mike.

It wasn’t long till Eddie had caught on to how often the two were there- especially since they weren’t the typical sleazeball he’d have moaning over him on any typical day. They weren’t even unattractive. In Eddie’s humble opinion, Richie was fucking _hot_ \- and there wasn’t that many customers he could say that about.

It was one particular day when he’d notice Richie walking in, Bill and three unfamiliar faces in tow, with a wide grin spread across his face. They’d sat at his usual table, lucky number 7, a ginger girl seated by a someone he could only assume was a goddamn _model_ \- seriously, why did this guy have so many hot fucking friends?- and an equally as handsome, but arguably unconventionally attractive man.

He took note of Richies outfit as he always did, a bright colored button up that came straight from the 90’s- reminiscent of _Saved By The Bell_ , a plain grey undershirt and ripped jeans he didn’t quite get to see. The same dumb converse as always, he couldn’t get close enough the pick out the words, but they were scribbled all over with various colored sharpies. He could never figure out how he always looked so damn good in his dumb fucking outfits, he spent entire shifts racking his brain for some sort of explanation.

The only understandable one was that he just found Richie attractive, though it wasn’t be hard with his wide set figure, he’d found himself wanting to climb the man like a tree every time he walked through the doors. Not to mention his stupid hair, he’d found himself imagining- off shift- running his fingers through the always messy curls, wrapped up in Richie’s arms.

 _Jesus_ , Eddie thought, _keep it in your pants_.

Mike never seemed to show that sort of attraction to Bill, though he was positive Eddie had seen him gazing wistfully at him from his place at the counter.

Mike was never the overtly sexual one- he even found a way to tone his work uniform down, wearing a short sleeved shirt instead of Eddie’s loose tank top. So maybe they were just as creepy as Richie and Bill had initially been, but who could blame them? He didn’t exactly have to be modest about some sex-on-legs walking in his workplace and showing a very distinct interest in him.

“Hi, I’m Eddie and I’ll be your waiter today, what can I get you?”

Eddie never had to try to put on a fake grin while serving Richie, it came naturally to him, and he was even more delighted when he received one back. He flinched slightly as he heard a bang from underneath the table, Richie flipping around to glare at the redhead and presumably kicking her right back. “Not funny, Marsh, Ben- tell your dog to heel,”

“Hey! I ain’t no mutt Tozier!” She shot back with an admirable fight behind her pointed expression. Huh.

 _Tozier_. _Richie Tozier_.

He liked the sound of that. Now he could finally have somewhere to go in his search to find his social media.

Or, _Eddie Tozier._

_Jesus fuck, Eddie, you haven’t even had a full conversation with this guy!_

So maybe that was a lie, he’d constantly linger by their table to talk to Richie, wanting to get as much knowledge on him as possible, but again, who could blame him? He was sure his coworkers would do the same, though he hadn’t talked to anyone but Mike about it yet.

“round of shots for everyone- and a sex on the beach for the birthday boy!” Eddie snapped back into reality at the request, nodding as he jotted it down on his notepad before tucking it in his apron.

“I’ll have that right up for you guys, happy birthday, by the way,” He responded with an all too overzealous wink in Richie’s direction, holding back an overt grin at his immediate redness. He walked back as quickly but casually as he could to where Mike had been stationed, jumping gleefully as he went in for a high five.

“What’s the news, Eds?” He asked, taking only the slightest glance up from his work.

“It’s his fucking birthday!” Eddie exclaimed as if that really meant much, letting out a childish squeal of pure excitement.

“You should let him do a shot off your tits,” Was the only response he got back, granted Mike was focused all too seriously on his important business of- _counting coins_ “Shut the fuck up. I think I’m finally gonna do it today,”

“With all of his friends there? Fuck- should I give Bill my number too?”

“Hell yeah you should! Maybe we’ll get extra lucky ‘n they’ll be roommates, then we can make sure one of em isn’t like- a psychopath killer or somethin’.” Eddie spoke as he sent the order to the kitchen, knowing full well he could make the drinks himself.

“Isn't coming to the same restaurant for every single week for two months a little overkill just for a _murder_?”

“I dunno, what if they have some special type? And we just happen to fit that perfectly?”

“Hey, order up for seven!”

He whipped himself around to hurriedly take the drink tray from the counter, skillfully balancing it on the palm of his hand before heading off, saluting to Mike as he went. He made his way quick to the table, his cheeks flushing at the way Richie immediately grinned up at him. It was a dumb grin, full of buck tooth teeth if he was honest, but he loved it. _Loved_. Calm yourself, Edward.

“Here you go, round of shots and a Sex on the Beach for the birthday boy,” Eddie passed the drinks around the table, noting the way Richie eyed his name tag as if he didn’t already know his name.

“Why thank you- Eds,! Stanthony, give the nice man our order will ya?” Richie slapped a hand across Stans back, noticeably tearing his eyes away from the waiter to do so.

“The name’s Eddie.”

“Oh, really? Looks like Eds to me, sorry Spaghetti.” Eddie was too flustered with the wink Richie gave to focus on the nickname, his cheeks heating up as he forced himself to tuck the empty tray under his arm and pull out his notepad. The nickname was a crisis to deal with later- now he had to focus on getting the damn order. He looked down, cursing under his breath as he saw the squiggly line he had begun to draw across the paper from keeping the pen pressed against the first line. He flipped the page before composing himself, looking back around the table.

“Sorry, uhm, what did you guys want?”

“We’ll have three baskets of the Daytona Beach wings, one mild for Ben,” Stan said, shrugging off Richie’s hand so he could lean slightly over the table to make his voice clearer.

“Don’t laugh like that, Rich!” Ben exclaimed, the ginger- Marsh, was it? Kicking Richie under the table once more. He didn’t hesitate to kick back, leaning himself past stan as if he was about to make a reach for the girl.

“Chill it with the footsies Bev! I’m saving myself, not to mention your fiancés right there!”

“Jesus Christ, you two are like children. Sorry- Eddie?” Eddie gave a curt nod to the curly haired man- Stan, he remembered from earlier, before he continued. “Yeah, all that and- keep the shots coming,”

“L-lemonade for me,” Bill finally spoke up, Eddie thinking he was nervous- which immediately made him worry Bill was the one with a thing for him, not Richie.

“God, fucking _lame-o_ ,” Richie rolled his eyes obnoxiously, rolling his head back until he could see Eddie again, the same smile coming onto his face once more, and Eddie couldn’t help but smile back.

“I’m t-the designated driver, R-Rich! I’m s-saving your ass!” He shot back as Eddie began to admire their dynamic- the whole group's dynamic, really.

“What would hot-piece-of-ass Mikey think if he heard you were such a _loser_?”

Eddie couldn’t help but laugh at the insult, finding charm in how overly childish this man was. He couldn’t help it- it was just something he was never surrounded with as a kid, so the unprofessionalism- despite the fact they were in a hooters- was enamoring. He hadn’t even processed that he was talking about his friend ‘ _Mikey_ ’ even if he’d been the only one to ever call him that, too caught up in the dumb bickering between them.

“C-can it, Richie! Can you j-just let this poor man take our order in _p-peace_?”

Richie suppressed an eye roll as he raised his brows at Eddie, moving his head upright to talk to him properly. “That’s it, Spaghetti, whatever the hell Stan said, I’m good with.”

“I’ll have that right up for you, Rich.”

Eddie practically skipped his way back to the kitchen to turn in the order, going to lean against the counter before his only other table was called for an order up. “He talked about you, Mike, you better get that number in, trust me,” He said as he passed, an excessively large order in his hand.

————————

Eddie nearly broke a sweat trying to keep his expression stoic as he carried table 7’s tray to them, his number already written on the bill- along with Mikes.

“Here you go, three baskets of Daytona’s and one mild for Ben, I’ll be back around with the drinks as soon as I can,”

“Why thank you, spaghetti!”

“Here’s the cheque now, I don’t know if I trust a face like that not to dine ‘n dash,” Eddie teased with a wink of his own, setting it down before turning to be greeted by Richie clutching a hand over his heart, just under that dumb button up he had on.

“You wound me, Eddie! Out of all the times I’ve been here I haven’t once lynched you out of your money!” Eddie let out a dumb giggle, shaking his head as he tucked the notepad in his apron, free hand resting on his hip.

“But now you’re drunk, or- tipsy, it’s all different now. Well- let me know if you need anything, just so I can get back to my job.”

He‘d nearly cursed himself for saying that, wanting nothing more than to stand there and talk to Richie for the rest of his shift. “Right-o,”

Richie has said in return as only now did he realize his friends were all immersed in conversations themselves, paying no mind to the two boys’ conversations. Eddie turned at that, making his way to serve up the rest of his orders. He stopped by Mike with the same stupid, love stuck, _not love, Eddie_ , grin on his face, sighing dramatically as he grabbed a tray.

“I swear, if they don’t call us-“

“They’ve been coming here for two months, Eddie, there’s no way they won’t call us. They have a basic _right_ to call us,” Mike argued, taking his eyes away from the cash register to look at Eddie who was already walking away.

“You don’t know that!” He answered, not waiting for Mike's answer before he headed off to table 12, his genuine grin swapping out for a fake one.

He cursed himself for having this boy stuck on his mind, at work, of all places. Why couldn’t he have met him at church or something? Sure, it wasn’t like Eddie went to church, but it was a hell of a lot better than Richie immediately knowing his place of work.

It wasn’t like he was embarrassed of where he worked- it was just another job to help him pay for his student loans while his night shift at a local bar as for his living expenses, but he’d rather someone he was emotionally invested in not immediately know he practically whored himself out for extra tips.

He’d be nothing but a liar if he said he’d never flirted with the customers way more than necessary just to get an extra tip- but he’d also be a liar if he said it didn’t work. A little mascara on the lashes and a constant oversexualization of himself never hurt anybody, in fact it probably boosted his self esteem more than was ever necessary. —————

“Eds? This you?” Richie said through the other end of the phone, his voice alone having Eddie bouncing on the balls of his feet. He hadn’t gotten to be there when Richie’s party left, forcing himself to go on break since he hadn’t eaten the entire day, per usual. The second he saw the unknown number appear on the screen he answered, just praying that it was Richie and not some goddamned spam caller.

“No, actually, it’s Eddie.” He let out a short giggle after his sentence, moving across his apartment to curl up in the corner of the couch, wanting to be able to indulge in Richies voice without any other distractions in his way. He tugged a blanket over his lap, smiling

“Damn, sorry, I was looking for Spaghetti, guess I got some other hot waiter.” He said with a drawn out sigh, eliciting yet another laugh from Eddie. This guy really did things to him, he couldn’t help but want to get in his pants ASAP.

“Sucks, but I mean I can give this Eds guy your number if you _really_ want, sure he’d be thrilled to hear from a guy like you.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”

They fell into a more than comfortable silence just like that, one that had Eddie wishing Richie was there with him right then. If he thought he was obsessed with this man before- this simple phone conversation took that to a whole nother level.

His thoughts were consumed with _Richie, Richie, Richie. Richie’s voice, Richie’s arms, Richie’s hair._

He knew it was pitiful, but he couldn’t help it.

He was determined to get with him, to be able to feel Richie surrounding him in any way possible, even if he was some serial killer going after Hooters employees over anyone else.

“‘M glad my weekly Hooters stop finally pulled off, and on my birthday, too” Richie finally spoke up, his grin obvious through his tone.

“You really think it did? Y’know, maybe I gave you my number so I could get yours for a restraining order or something,”

“But did you?” Richie’s tone faltered slightly, and Eddie immediately felt guilty, but couldn’t help but assume he was all too gullible. “Oh _hell_ no.”

“So tell me, Eds, when’re you free?”

Eddie thought for a moment, having to get right back up to scurry off to his kitchen, humming as he scanned his calendar. “Uh...tomorrow night...I get off at four?” He said it like a question, picking his phone up from his shoulder to speak into it clearer, wanting to hear exactly what Richie would suggest.

“Want me to pick you up, cutie?” If they hadn’t already been, his cheeks were now on fire just from the simple compliment.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you know just where I’ll be. I’m bringing a change of clothes though,”

Richie barked out a laugh that was almost too loud in Eddie’s ear, especially from how it caught him off guard. He could already tell he’d never get tired of that sound- no matter how obnoxious it was.

“No way! I love that slutty little outfit! Promise me you’ll at least wear some cute shorts?” Eddie shook his head, leaning his elbows on the counter before putting Richie on speaker phone.

“I knew it! You only like me for my body!”

“Well who said I liked you, Eds?” Eddie furrowed his brows in a panic at that, raising his phone back up to his face despite the stuttering mess that came out.

_Fuck, fuck, how could he have been so stupid?_

What- he came around once a week to eat shitty wings cause he wanted to be friends?

_Jesus, Eddie!_

He probably wasn’t even fucking _gay_! Oh god, he was thirsting over some straight guy that wanted nothing more than a beer buddy. Did Eddie even look like he liked beer? He spent way too much time around it and intoxicated people to even see what it’d do to him- but maybe he just looked like he wanted to try and have a good time?

 _You're rambling, Eddie_. He thought to himself, pulling at his hair by the time Richie had the mind to answer. 

“W-well I just- I assumed since you called me and kept coming to my work that you- l-liked me, or something, I shouldn’t have. Cause I didn’t mean to like- overstep your feelings, if you don’t like me that’s fine, I-I didn’t mean you have to,”

Richie was laughing once more, and Eddie immediately sulked against the counter, setting his phone down with a groan as he buried his face in his hand.

“No way Eds! You’re startin’ to sound like big Bill over there! I like you, I promise. Like you a whole lot, don’t worry ‘bout it. Guess that means you like me too?”

Now he was the gullible one.

“Jesus, you sound like a fifth grader. But head I do, like you, that is. Like like you, even,”

“Score! Got the cutest boy in town like liking me. Be there ‘round four, Eddie baby.” Richie laughed at himself before sighing almost fondly, tagging on a “That's a whole lotta ‘likes’ in one sentence. Bye, Eds.”

“Yeah. See ya.”

_‘Eddie baby’, fuck, he was whipped._


End file.
